Bourtzi Fortress at Dusk - Nafplio

Castle On The Water

My brief stop in Nafplio coincided with uncharacteristically rainy weather. The showers ended about an hour before sunset, but thick cloud cover remained.

I wanted this shot dearly. The enchanting island fortress of Bourtzi hovers so elegantly just above the calm waters. But the light from the gloomy sky was far from flattering.

My only hope was that the town would have the good sense to illuminate their lovely little Venetian-style castle. I set up my tripod, focused the camera and waited for dusk to fall.

Bourtzi Fortress at Dusk, Nafplio

I was extremely fortunate. Floodlights emerged as the evening sky began to darken. Fog draped distant mountains and added to the atmosphere.

I love the mix of cool, blue dusk punctuated with highlights from warm, artificial sources. Daylight white balance captured the blue cast of the evening sky simultaneously with the orange glow of the mercury vapor lamps. 

The image required almost no post-processing, only sharpening and a dash of contrast. The atmospheric conditions and the magnificent mix of light sources are what make the photo stand out.

This is one of my very favorite photos of Greece. Thank you, Nafplio, for turning on the lights!



Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VRII

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Modern Dance

Elegance In Motion

Tremendous thanks to Josh, an amazingly talented Modern Dance performer, for permitting me to photograph him in his studio.

Please stay tuned for information on an upcoming gallery on the Performing Arts.


Nikon D800E, 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S, SB-800 and SB-910 flash units

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Morning Ride

Take Off

Sometimes all you need is a fast bike and an extra helmet.

Morning Ride - Daniel South Photography

Camera:  Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens:      Canon EF 70-200 f/4L IS

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Stairway Atop The City Walls, Dubrovnik

The most impressive walled city that I've seen in my travels is Dubrovnik on the southern coast of Croatia.

Stairwell Atop The City Walls, Dubrovnik

I captured this shot as the morning sun cast a shadow bisecting the stairway.


Camera:  Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:      Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Springtime at Big Sur

Cattle Grazing at the Point Sur Lighthouse

Ah, the green of the California Coast! What a welcome sight after a long, cold winter!

Cattle Grazing at Point Sur

Camera:  Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:      Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Passing Gondolier - Venice

A Sense of Place

Passing Gondolier - Venice

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens:      Nikon AF-S Nikor 24-70 f/2.8G ED 

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2014 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

The Other Side of the Island

The Charm of New York's Neighborhoods

Skyscrapers. High-rise apartment buildings. Landmarks, lights, and sights - New York has it all. Tourists flock to Times Square and Rockefeller Center, stroll along Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, and aim their cameras at the Chrysler Building and the World Trade Center. The grandeur can be intoxicating. The experience, unforgettable.

New Yorkers and frequent visitors enjoy the famous sights just as much as the tourists do. But there's a more intimate side of the city - neighborhoods that retain the charm and character of decades past. 

I love to photograph New York. A big part of that adventure is discovering the city's hidden secrets, lesser known places that still catch the eye and captivate the imagination.

City In Motion - Classic New York Architecture

The photo above shows a style of architecture that I have come to appreciate while meandering through the busy streets of Manhattan. These four or five-story building typically feature shops on the street level, apartments above, and intricate iron fire escapes.

The façades can be quite colorful. I love how direct sunlight - which hits this row of buildings for at most only a few minutes per day - brings out the colors, textures, and details.

My first attempt at this shot didn't work out well. I realized afterward that I had forgotten to put a memory card into the camera. The images vanished as soon as I turned the camera off.

I returned a week later, wedged my tripod between a couple of parked cars (one of which was waiting to pull out!), focused, finalized my exposure settings carefully, and clicked six or seven shots as cars passed by in various patterns. I like this one the best because of the even distribution of the passing cars across the frame.

Unfortunately, these lovely buildings are disappearing. Each year, many of them are torn down to make way for large and more modern structures. I look forward to photographing more neighborhoods like this one - before they all disappear.


Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2013 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

City In Motion - The Inspiration Behind The Photographs

Reflection and Possibility

Urban photographers like to work with reflections. Modern cities are endowed with a generous supply of glass panes and shiny surfaces.

One evening in the summer, I noticed a black marble wall. I pulled out my camera and experimented with shots of the reflections of passing people and the vehicles.

Empire State Building - New York City in Motion

It was an interesting idea, it presented technical challenges. There wasn't much light at that hour, and the dark surface absorbed most of what was available.

Even with a highly sensitive modern digital camera, I was struggling to set a shutter speed that would freeze the motion of my reflected subjects. 

My mind began to search for solutions. I considered trying again with extremely fast lenses and using special noise reduction software.

And then I said to myself, "Stop!"

I realized that I was thinking in a habitual ways. I was solving the same problems in the same way, using the same thinking that I had been using for years. It was time for a break, time to set my automatic responses aside and approach the problem from a new perspective.

Grand Central Station - New York City In Motion

What if I couldn't freeze the motion of passing objects? What if I let them blur on purpose?

Legendary photographer Ernst Haas used motion blur creatively in his images. Search online for a copy of his photograph, La Suerte De Capa, captured in Pamplona, Spain in 1956. It's one of my all-time favorite photographs in part because it defies common practice. Instead of freezing the motion in the frame, Haas enhanced its impact on the final image. 

I began to the see a possibility. I didn't necessarily have to fight to freeze my subjects. If I cold capture motion effective in the frame of a still photograph, I could use it to show the dynamic pace of life in New York City.


Empire State Building: Nikon D800E, PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5

Grand Central: Canon EOD 5D Mark III, TS-E24mm f/3.5L

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2013 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved